The frontcourt trio of 7-footer Kaleb Tarczewski, 6-10 forward Grant Jerrett and 6-8 forward Brandon Ashley—along with dynamic guard Gabe York—signaled to the rest of the country that Arizona would not be toiling on the NCAA Tournament bubble and playing in the NIT for long.

Then on Wednesday night, Shabazz Muhammad joined Kyle Anderson at UCLA. Shortly afterward, Nerlens Noel announced he'd head to Kentucky. Tarczewski, Ashley and Jerrett watched those announcements in an ESPNU studio in Charlotte while in town for the Jordan Brand Classic. They also watched as the team recruiting rankings were reshuffled.

Arizona no longer was the undisputed king of the recruiting hill.

"Me and Brandon were talking about it. We're kind of mad we're not No. 1 anymore because Kentucky, they get it like every year," Jerrett said Thursday. "We wanted the Arizona Wildcats to be No. 1."

Said Ashley: "With them bumping us off, it definitely adds a little bit more pressure on the season. We've got to show everybody that our class is no joke and we're here for business."

Whether Arizona's recruiting class is ranked No. 1 or No. 2, or even No. 3, it's a group that puts the Wildcats back in play as a national power. It all started with Jerrett committing to coach Sean Miller's program Nov. 27, 2010. For those who haven't seen Jarrett play, Ashley describes his future teammate as a big man with the great footwork to beat opponents in the post but also a strong face-up jumper and the ability to beat his man off the dribble. It's a deadly triple-threat for opponents.

Jerrett, ranked as the No. 15 player in the nation by Rivals, favored Arizona in his recruitment without ever knowing about the possibility of creating a mega class. But as things went on, Miller told Jerrett that his arrival could bring other players to campus.

Then in July 2011, Jerrett—a California native—was joined by York, whom Rivals rates as the No. 46 player in the Class of '12. At that point, those two West Coast stars turned their attention to luring another regional star. Ashley, the No. 23-ranked player, liked their sales pitch and committed in late August 2011.

"When they kind of told me that they weren't looking just to win, and they told me the goal is a national championship, and they said it with the utmost confidence, that was kind of when I was like, 'Yeah, there's no turning back now. Let's get this,' " Ashley said.

Making the move from a strong class to a truly elite one depended on Arizona winning a recruiting battle against Kansas for Tarczewski, the No. 9-rated player. Tarczewski was important because while Ashley and Jerrett brought a level of versatility to the frontcourt, the team still needed that bruising anchor in the middle.

When it came to convincing Tarczewski about his choice, York played the role of lead recruiter at another camp, adidas Nations.

"The whole time, when my list was down to Kansas and Arizona, (York) was like, 'We've got to get you there. I'm going to throw you the ball every time,' " said Tarczewski, who committed in late October 2011. "With the team they have now and then us coming in, I think we have a great (team)."

The departure of sophomore-to-be point guard Josiah Turner, however, has left something of a hole in what could have been a spotless starting five. Opinions are mixed on who will run the offense when the three big men were asked their opinion, with answers ranging from York to returnees like Nick Johnson and Jordin Mayes.

But even that blemish on the Arizona roster isn't dulling the ambition of this group, which is to follow in the footsteps of the freshmen that led Kentucky to the NCAA title last season and cut down the nets in Atlanta in 2013.

"We all want to step in and really contribute from Day 1," Tarczewski said. "I don't think we really have the same type of players as (Kentucky) did, so I think it will definitely be different than that, but that's what we want to be able to do, to step in and hopefully win a national championship this year."